Comparison of cellular and molecular cytotoxic mechanisms of Cochlodinium polykrikoides in isolated trout and rat hepatocytes

Harmful algal blooms produced by the marine ichthyotoxic dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides are responsible for mass mortalities of wild and farmed fish globally. This study compared the cytotoxic mechanisms of C. polykrikoides total extract on both trout and rat liver hepatocytes. Trout hepatocytes were more sensitive than rat hepatocytes against C. polykrikoides extract. The effective concentration 50 after 3 hour incubation (EC50_3hr) concentrations found for C. polykrikoides extract in trout and rat hepatocytes (i.e., 50% membrane lysis in 3 hr) were Eq. 1 cell/ml and Eq. 240 cell/ml, respectively. C. polykrikoides extract exposure in both isolated trout and rat hepatocytes resulted in membrane lysis, reactive oxygen species formation, glutathione depletion, collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP depletion, increase in adenosine diphosphate (ADP)/adenosine triphosphate (ATP) ratio, cytochrome c release into the hepatocyte cytosol, and activation of caspases cascade. Trout hepatocyte toxicity was also associated with lysosomal membrane injury. Mitochondrial permeability transition in both trout and rat hepatocytes produced cytochrome c release from the mitochondrial intramembrane space into the cytosol. Thus, the cytochrome c release triggered activation of caspase-3 and apoptosis. Finally, data demonstrated that C. polykrikoides extract may induce more apoptotic phenotype in rat than trout hepatocytes, which in the latter favored predominantly necrotic mode of cell death.     

The cut-off point for tympanic temperature as a heat strain index for evaluation of outdoor workers: a field study

Objectives. The aims of this study were (a) to assess the agreement coefficient between tympanic temperatures and the most popular and valid heat stress index, wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), in outdoor environments; (b) to determine a cut-off point for tympanic temperature as a heat strain index for evaluation of outdoor workers. Methods. 1452 measurements of WBGT index and tympanic temperature were recorded for outdoor workers from nine different climatic regions. Consistency of the WBGT and tympanic temperature were tested. The cut-off point for tympanic temperature in outdoor environments regarding WBGT evaluation was suggested based on obtained sensitivity and specificity from a receiver operating characteristic curve. Results. The results showed that there were numerous situations in which WBGT exceeded the reference value, whilst the measured values of tympanic temperature rarely reached a permissible value for core temperature (38?°C). Therefore, appropriate consistency of results between the heat stress and strain indices was not achieved. Conclusion. The criterion of tympanic temperature equaling 37?°C was suggested as a cut-off point for tympanic temperature as a heat strain index for outdoor environment evaluation.     

Association between Blastocystis sp. infection and immunocompromised patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The significance of opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients and the enigmatic pathogenicity of Blastocystis directed us to conduct the...